The Palm Beach County Commission has decided not to enter into exclusive negotiations with billionaire Jeff Greene for the sale and use of county-owned land at theNorth County General Aviation Airport, instead choosing to open the project to other prospective bidders.
The developer wants the property in order to upgrade facilities at North County Airport, including hangars and a terminal housing an executive lounge and private meeting rooms.
During a meeting on Oct. 20, county commissioners said they are open to considering a proposal from Greene to purchase 131 acres of undeveloped wetlands just north of the airport and to lease land on the airport's property, but said they cannot approve formal negotiations until others have been given an opportunity
to submit bids.
North County Airport, built on 1,832 acres off the Bee Line Highway, is about 14 miles northwest of President Donald J. Trump International Airport and is adjacent to parts of Palm Beach Gardens.
In August, Greene's company, Jet Greene LLC, owned by the Palm Beach resident, submitted a two-part proposal to Palm Beach County Director of Airports Laura Beebe and County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo.
First, county documents show that Jet Greene LLC wants to purchase the vacant wetland parcel for $30 million, which the county would then use to fund a proposed runway expansion at the North County airport and an air traffic control tower.
The county is seeking to lengthen a runway at North County Airport to 6,000 feet from 4,300 and to widen its width to 100 feet from 75. The changes would allow larger private aircraft such as Learjets 35 and 45, Citations VI, VII and X, and Hawkers 125-800 to land at North County and could potentially alleviate air traffic at Trump international airport.
Second, Jet Greene LLC would sign a 50-year lease for a combined 40 acres of airport property, with the intentions of installing a new fixed-based operator to oversee daily operations at the airport, and building new amenities for private jets.
Attorney Harvey Oyer III, representing Greene, told commissioners that Jet Greene LLC wants to use the leased land to construct new hangars and a terminal that would include an executive lounge, private meeting rooms, and other amenities. He described a need for more hangars to accommodate private jets in the county, citing a lack of availability at the DJT airport.
"There are no hangar facilities available at DJT," Oyer said. "In fact, there's not even tarmac remaining to lease and leave your plane in the rain and the sun."
Oyer said Jet Greene LLC would construct the new terminal at its own expense, and estimates that the project will cost between $60 million and $80 million. He said the company would work with the county to find to suitable fixed-based operator to run the facility. He estimates the project will create about 150 jobs.
A motion before the commission was to give county aviation officials permission to proceed with talks and negotiations with Jet Greene LLC, and to waive the competitive bidding process under a Florida law that gives county governments the authority to use public funds for economic development.
However, County Attorney David Ottey told the commission the economic development law could not apply to the sale of the 131-acre parcel without a specific declaration of how that land will be used and how that use would benefit the county.
Oyer said no specific use for the undeveloped parcel has been determined, but said any development there would most likely support the airport's operations in some manner, such as a distribution center or a warehouse.
Commissioner Maria Marino, whose district includes the North County airport, she said preferred to issue request for proposals to other prospective bidders before proceeding with formal negotiations. During public comments, executives from several aviation companies said they would interested in bidding on the development.
Beebe said the aviation department could issue requests for proposals by February of 2027, with the selection process taking about two to three months.
"If there are people who can make a better bid, then they make a better bid," Marino said. "What Jet Greene has brought to the table is a starting point and I think we would be remiss if we didn't exhaust other possibilities."
Julius Whigham II covers northern Palm Beach County and public safety for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County opens North County airport land to new bids
